SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Netflix, SEGA of America, Inc. ("SEGA"), and WildBrain announce a new animated Sonic the Hedgehog series, Sonic Prime, set to premiere worldwide in 2022. The 24-episode animated adventure for kids, families, and long-time fans draws upon the keystones of the brand and features the "Blue Blur" of video game fame in a high-octane adventure where the fate of a strange new multiverse rests in his gloved hands. Sonic's adventure is about more than a race to save the universe, it's a journey of self-discovery and redemption. The series will be animated at WildBrain's Vancouver studio, and SEGA and WildBrain will jointly participate across production, distribution and licensing. Man of Action Entertainment, creators of Ben 10 and the characters and team in the Academy Award-winning feature Big Hero 6, have been brought on as showrunners and Executive Producers for the series.

Actor Dustin Diamond, who was best known for his role as Samuel "Screech" Powers throughout the Saved by the Bell franchise, has died. He died on February 1 in Florida from small-cell lung carcinoma. He had been diagnosed with the disease in early January. Mr. Diamond was only 44.

Diamond first played the role of Samuel "Screech" Powers in the 1988-1989 Disney Channel sitcom Good Morning, Miss Bliss. It aired for one season and 13 episodes. The series focuses on the life of junior high school teacher Miss Carrie Bliss (Hayley Mills) at John F. Kennedy Junior High in Indianapolis. Samuel "Screech" Powers was an awkward nerd with a crush on Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies). It also starred Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Max Battimo, Heather Hopper, T.K. Carter, Joan Ryan and Dennis Haskins.

Good Morning, Miss Bliss was retooled as Saved by the Bell. It premiered on August 20, 1989, and aired on Saturday mornings on NBC. The reformatted series follows a group of high school friends and their principal at the fictional Bayside High School in Los Angeles. It ran for four seasons and 86 episodes. The cast included Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Elizabeth Berkley, Lark Voorhies, Leanna Creel (1992-1993) and Dennis Haskins.

NBC aired the spin-off series Saved by the Bell: The College Years starting on May 22, 1993. It aired in primetime for one season and 19 episodes from 1993 to 1994. The series revolves around the six characters getting into trouble each week at the fictitious California University (Cal U), under the watchful eye of Mike Rogers (Bob Golic), their resident adviser. The cast included Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Mario Lopez, Anne Tremko, Kiersten Warren, Patrick Fabian and Holland Taylor (1994).

After the cancellation of Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Diamond continued to play the role of Screech in Saved by the Bell: The New Class starting in the second season. The series follows a new group of students at Bayside High School. Screech returns to Bayside High initially on a work-study program, and later as Mr. Belding's assistant. It ran for 7 seasons and 143 episodes on NBC. He appeared in 67 episodes.

Some of his sitcom guest appearances included It's a Living, The Wonder Years (2 episodes), The Munsters Today, Getting By, Hang Time (2 episodes) and Off Centre.

Diamond later did stand up comedy. He appeared on Weakest Link in 2001, Celebrity Boxing 2 in 2002, Celebrity Fit Club in 2007-2008 and Celebrity Big Brother in 2013. In 2009, he published an inside story of the show's cast and crew, from his point of view, titled Behind the Bell. He was an executive producer for the TV movie The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story, which aired on Lifetime on September 1, 2014.

Mr. Diamond did a great job of playing the funny and memorable role of Screech. He appeared as Screech for nearly 13 years across 12 seasons of the Saved by the Bell franchise. We thank him for the laughs and entertainment he brought us. He will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our Saved by the Bell message board. View photos in our galleries.

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Emmy-winning actor Hal Holbrook, who starred as Evan Evans in Evening Shade, has died. He died on January 23 at his home in Beverly Hills, California. Mr. Holbrook was 95.

Holbrook had a recurring role as Reese Watson in nine episodes of the CBS sitcom Designing Women from 1986 to 1989. Reese Watson was a widowed and successful Atlanta attorney who was Julia Sugarbaker's (Dixie Carter) love interest. Holbrook was married in real life to Dixie Carter from 1984 until her death in 2010.

He starred as Evan Evans in the 1990-1994 CBS sitcom Evening Shade. Evan Evans was the father of Ava Evans Newton (Marilu Henner). He was the publisher of the local newspaper, The Evening Shade Argus. The series also starred Burt Reynolds, Ossie Davis, Charles Durning, Elizabeth Asheley, Michael Jeter, Jay R. Ferguson, Melissa Martin (1990-1991), Candace Hutson (1991-1994), Jacob Parker, Charlie Dell and Ann Wedgeworth.

Some of his other sitcom guest appearances included Becker, Good Morning Miami and Hope & Faith.

Holbrook starred as Sen. Hayes Stowe in the 1970-1971 NBC political drama The Bold Ones: The Senator. He won an Emmy Award for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series for the role. He had a recurring role as James Dempsey in the NBC series The Event from 2010 to 2011. Some of his other television credits included The Brighter Day, The Name of the Game, The Outer Limits (2000), Family Law, The West Wing, The Sopranos, NCIS, ER, Sons of Anarchy, Bones, Grey's Anatomy and Hawaii Five-0.

He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Ron Franz in Into the Wild (2007). Some of his other film credits included All the President's Men (1971), Julia (1977), The Fog (1980), Creepshow (1982), Wall Street (1987), The Firm (1993), Hercules (1997) and Men of Honor (2000).

He was interviewed for The Interviews: An Oral History of Television on July 11, 2017.

Mr. Holbrook was a wonderful actor who won Emmys five times. He had so many incredible roles during his long career. He will be deeply missed.

Share your memories on our Evening Shade message board. View photos in our galleries.

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Emmy-winning screnwriter and producer Allan Burns, who was the co-creator of The Munsters, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda, has died. He died at his home in Los Angeles, California, on January 30 from Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia. Mr. Burns was 85.

Burns and Chris Hayward created The Munsters, which aired for 2 seasons on CBS from 1964 to 1966. The series starred Fred Gwynne, Yvonne DeCarlo, Al Lewis, Butch Patrick, Beverly Owen (1964) and Pat Priest.

They later created the short-lived 1965-1966 NBC sitcom My Mother the Car. He wrote six episodes of the series. The series starred Jerry Van Dyke, Ann Sothern (voice), Maggie Pierce, Cindy Eilbacher, Randy Whipple and Avery Schreiber.

Burns and James L. Brooks created The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1970. The popular CBS sitcom ran for 7 seasons and 168 episodes from 1970 to 1977. Burns and Brooks won Emmys for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 1971 and 1977. The Mary Tyler Moore Show won for Outstanding Comedy Series three years in a row in 1975, 1976 and 1977. Burns wrote eight episodes of the series. The cast included Mary Tyler Moore, Edward Asner, Gavin MacLeod, Ted Knight, Valerie Harper (1970-1974), Cloris Leachman (1970-1975), Georgia Engel (1972-1977) and Betty White (1973-1977).

Burns and Brooks created the spin-off series Rhoda. The CBS sitcom ran for five seasons and 110 episodes from 1974 to 1978. The cast included Valerie Harper, Julie Kavner, David Groh (seasons 1-3), Nancy Walker (seasons 1-2, 4-5), Harold Gould (seasons 1-2, 4-5), Ron Silver (seasons 3-4), Ray Buktenica (seasons 3-5), Kennth McMillan (seasons 4-5) and Lorenzo Music (voice only).

He won his first Emmy in 1968 for his work on the CBS sitcom He & She. He wrote 10 episodes of the series from 1967 to 1968. Some of his other sitcom writing credits included Get Smart (11 episodes), Love, American Style (2 episodes), Room 222 (4 episodes), Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers (co-created with James L. Brooks), Rhoda, The Duck Factory, Eisenhower and Lutz (also the creator and directed one episode), FM (also the creator) and Cutters.

His producing credits included Room 222, Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers, Rhoda, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the Duck Factory, Eisenhower and Lutz, FM and Cutters.

Some of his other television writing credits included The Bullwinkle Show, Dudley Do-Right and George of the Jungle. Burns, Brooks and Gene Reynolds created the 1977-1982 CBS drama Lou Grant. He worked as an executive producer on the series from 1977 to 1978.

He was interviewed for The Interviews: An Oral History of Television on February 18, 2004.

Mr. Burns was a six-time Emmy winner. We thank him for his work on many classic sitcoms such as The Munsters, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda. He will be greatly missed.

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Television producer and executive Jamie Tarses, who was the president of ABC Entertainment from 1996 to 1999, has died. She died on February 1 in Los Angeles, from complications from a stroke she had suffered in the fall of 2020. Ms. Tarses was 56.

Tarses worked as a casting director for Perfect Strangers from 1987 to 1988. She helped develop Friends, Mad About You, Frasier, NewsRadio and Caroline in the City while working at NBC.

She was the president of ABC Entertainment from 1996 to 1999, the first woman and one of the youngest people to hold such a post in an American broadcast network.

Tarses was co-producer of the 2006-2010 TBS sitcom My Boys. Some of her other sitcom producing credits included Mad Love, Mr. Sunshine, Happy Endings, Men at Work, Marry Me, Your Family or Mine, The Mayor and Champaign ILL.

Ms. Tarses helped develop and produce many sitcoms during her career. We thank her for the sitcoms she brought us. She will be deeply missed.

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Television writer, producer, actor, and comedian Marc Wilmore, who worked on The PJs, The Simpsons and F Is for Family, has died. He died on January 30 from COVID-19 complications. Mr. Wilmore was 57.

Wilmore provided the voice of Walter Burkett for the 1999-2001 Fox/WB animated sitcom The PJs. He also wrote two episodes and worked as an executive story editor for 41 episodes.

Some of his other voice acting credits included The Simpsons and F Is for Family. He appeared in a 2000 episode of Manhattan, AZ.

Some of his other writing credits included Harry and the Hendersons, The Simpsons (12 episodes) and F Is for Family (3 episodes). He worked as an executive producer on The Simpsons and F Is for Family.

He was a regular cast member of the sketch comedy series In Living Color for the show's final season. He also worked on the series as a writer for 54 episodes from 1992 to 1994.

Mr. Wilmore was an Emmy winner in 2008 for his work on The Simpsons and a 10-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee. He was the brother of comedian Larry Wilmore. We thank him for his work on many television series. He will be greatly missed.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! We're still in the spring lull where there isn't a lot of news, though we expect to hear a lot about cancellations, renewals, and new fall lineups soon. We're not there yet, though! For now, we've got some news about the attempts to bring back One Day at a Time, some Saturday Night Live related news, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's not a very busy news week, but we're hearing about a record breaking renewal for an NBC favorite, some renewals at Fox, and some summer premiere dates. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

COZI TV is bringing back The Office to broadcast TV. The network has announced that the iconic workplace sitcom will have a new home when the critically acclaimed hit begins airing on COZI TV on January 1, 2019. The show will join Will & Grace and Frasier as part of the network's prime time comedy line-up.

The Office premiered in 2005 on NBC and ran for nine seasons with 201 episodes. Based on the British series of the same name, The Office won numerous awards during its run including five Emmy® awards out of 42 nominations. The series also launched the careers of Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, Mindy Kaling, B. J. Novak and others. The success of its trademark deadpan style, produced without a laugh track or musical scoring, helped popularized the mockumentary genre in American television.

The show was set in the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company of Scranton, Pennsylvania, the apparent subject of a documentary film. Carell played Michael Scott, the always inappropriate and desperate for approval Regional Manager. Krasinski played salesman Jim Halpert, Fischer played Pam the receptionist and Wilson was Dwight Schrute, the Assistant Regional Sales Manager.

Over the course of the series, fans followed the romance of Jim and Pam, the endless prank-fueled rivalry between Dwight and Jim, Michael's own inter-office romances and the comings and goings of a variety of corporate supervisors, HR advisors, and other instigators. Memorable moments include the "Office Olympics," a Survivor-style competition to determine the branch's next manager, the "Dundies" award shows, and, of course, Jim and Pam's wedding.

Actor, director and producer Burt Reynolds, who starred as Wood Newton in Evening Shade, has died. He died on September 6 at the Jupiter Medical Center in Jupiter, Florida. He had suffered heart problems for a number of years. Mr. Reynolds was 82.

Reynolds' early television guest appearances included Flight, M Squad, Schlitz Playhouse, The Lawless Years and Pony Express. His first starring role was with Darren McGavin in the NBC adventure series Riverboat from 1959 to 1960. He appeared in 20 episodes as Ben Frazier, the colead and boat pilot for The Enterprise.

Some of his other early 1960s television guest appearances included Playhouse 90, Johnny Ringo, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Lock Up, The Blue Angels, Michael Shayne, Zane Grey Theater, The Aquanauts, The Brothers Brannagan, Naked City, Ripcord, Everglades, Route 66, Perry Mason and The Twilight Zone.

His next starring role was in the CBS western Gunsmoke from 1962 to 1965. He appeared as Quint Asper, the town blacksmith, in 50 episodes of the series. He continued to make guest appearances on series such as Branded, Flipper and 12 O'Clock High.

He starred as Native American Detective Lt. John Hawk in the short-lived 1966 ABC police drama Hawk. The series also starred Wayne Grice, Bruce Glover and Leon Janney. Reynolds directed one episode of the series. Some of his other 1960s and 1970s guest appearances included The F.B.I., Premiere, Fade In and Love, American Style.

Reynolds starred as Detective Lt. Dan August in the 1970-1971 ABC police drama Dan August. Dan August investigated homicide cases in the fictional town of Santa Luisa, California. The series also starred Norman Fell, Ned Romero, Richard Anderson and Ena Hartmann.

He provided the voice of Troy Garland, Evie Garland's (Maureen Flanigan) father, in the 1987-1991 syndicated sitcom Out of This World. The series also starred Donna Pescow, Doug McClure, Joe Alaskey (1987-1990), Buzz Belmondo, Christina Nigra and Steve Burton.

Reynolds starred in the short-lived 1989-1990 ABC detective series B.L. Stryker. Buddy Lee Stryker, aka B.L., was a Vietnam war vet and retired New Orleans police officer who moved back home to the other side of the tracks in Palm Beach, Florida to work as a private investigator. The series starred Ossie Davis, Dana Kaminski, Michael O. Smith, Alfie Wise and Rita Moreno. Reynolds also served as an executive producer and directed three episodes of the series.

His longest running television role was in the 1990-1994 CBS sitcom Evening Shade. Reynolds starred as Wood Newton, an ex-professional football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who returns to rural Evening Shade, Arkansas, to coach a high-school football team with a long losing streak. The series also starred Marilu Henner, Hal Holbrook, Ossie Davis, Charles Durning, Elizabeth Ashley, Michael Jeter, Jay R. Ferguson, Ann Wedgeworth, Charlie Dell, Candace Hutson and Jacob Parker. Reynolds won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical for the role in 1992. He also directed 35 episodes and wrote 3 episodes of the series. He was one of the executive producers.

Some of his other sitcom guest appearances included The Golden Girls, The Larry Sanders Show, Hope & Gloria, Cybill, Emeril, The King of Queens, Freddie and My Name Is Earl. His voice credits included King of the Hill, Duckman, Robot Chicken, Duck Dodgers, American Dad! and Archer.

Reynolds was best known for his many film roles. His box office hits included Deliverance, The Longest Yard, Smokey and the Bandit, Semi-Tough, Hooper (also a producer), Smokey and the Bandit II, The Cannonball Run and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. He directed and starred in Gator (the sequel to White Lightning), The End, Sharky's Machine, Stick and The Last Producer. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Jack Horner in Boogie Nights.

Mr. Reynolds was wonderful in his many television and film roles. Hopefully the complete series of Evening Shade will be released on DVD one day. We thank him for the many laughs and hours of entertainment he brought us during his 50-year career. He will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our Evening Shade message board. View photos in our galleries.

Actor and comedian Bill Daily, who was best known for his roles as Roger Healey in I Dream of Jeannie and as Howard Borden in The Bob Newhart Show, has died. He died on September 4 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Mr. Daily was 91.

Daily's early work was as a stand-up comedian performing around the country. He made sitcom guest appearances in Bewitched, My Mother the Car and The Farmer's Daughter. Sitcom writer Sidney Sheldon liked his work and gave him a supporting role in I Dream of Jeannie.

He starred as Captain/Major Roger Healey in the 1965-1970 NBC sitcom I Dream of Jeannie. Roger Healey was Tony Nelson's (Larry Hagman) girl-crazy buddy and fellow astronaut. The series also starred Barbara Eden and Hayden Rorke. Daily wrote one episode of the series. He reprised his role in TV reunion movies I Dream of Jeannie... Fifteen Years Later in 1985 and I Still Dream of Jeannie in 1991.

Daily next starred as Howard Borden in the 1972-1978 CBS sitcom The Bob Newhart Show. Howard Borden was a divorced commercial airline navigator and later a co-captain. He was the next-door neighbor of Bob Hartley (Bob Newhart) and his wife, Emily (Suzanne Pleshette). The series also starred Peter Bonerz and Marcia Wallace. Daily returned for The Bob Newhart Show: The 19th Anniversary Special in 1991.

He co-starred with Debbie Reynolds in the short-lived 1981 ABC sitcom Aloha Paradise. The series followed the lives of the staff and guests at The Paradise Village resort, located on the coast of Kona, Hawaii. Daily played Curtis Shea, the resort's assistant manager. It also starred Pat Klous, Mokihana and Stephen Shortridge.

Daily appeared as Dr. Hanratty in the short-lived 1983 CBS sitcom Small & Frye. Dr. Hanratty was the eccentric head of the Police Criminal Lab. The series also starred Darren McGavin, Jack Blessing, Debbie Zipp, Warren Berlinger, Victoria Carroll and Dick Wilson.

He starred as veterinarian Dr. James Shepherd in the 1988-1989 syndicated sitcom Starting from Scratch. The series also starred Connie Stevens, Heidi Helmer, Jason Marin and Nita Talbot.

Some of his other sitcom guest appearances included Love, American Style, Getting Together, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Love Boat, ALF, The Munsters Today, The Naked Truth and Caroline in the City. He reunited with Bob Newhart in Newhart, Bob and George and Leo. His other television guest appearances included Flying High, CHiPs, The Powers of Matthew Star and Trapper John, M.D..

He was interviewed for The Interviews: An Oral History of Television in 2003.

Mr. Daily was very funny and memorable in his roles as the sidekick in I Dream of Jeannie and The Bob Newhart Show. We thank him for the laughs and entertainment he brought us in his series and guest appearances. He will be deeply missed.

Share your memories on our I Dream of Jeannie and The Bob Newhart Show message boards. View photos in our galleries.

Antenna TV will make some minor schedule changes for second quarter, beginning Sunday, April 1, 2018 (no, we're not foolin'). New addition Alice is doing red hot and will get three airings per weekday now. Alice will remain airing weekdays at 1pm and 1am, but now it will also air weeknights at 7:30pm! Wow, there's a new girl in town and she's looking good, indeed! It's part of minor weekday early evening changes, with now Growing Pains, Family Ties and Alice airing from 6:30pm-8pm. Other notable changes include Mr. Belvedere and Evening Shade being removed from the line-up, while Dear John returns to the schedule, airing weekends at 4pm. Head of the Class gains airings as well, getting weekends at 2pm while still airing weekdays at 2:30pm, as does Small Wonder now airing weekdays at 5am and remains at 12:30pm. We suggest you look at the April 2018 schedule to see what else has changed, but it's just minor.

The hit series Andi Mack has been renewed for a third season. The cast - Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Lilan Bowden, Joshua Rush, Sofia Wylie and Asher Angel - got the news while on ABC's Good Morning America yesterday. The series is lauded as a heartwarming, diverse coming-of-age story about the most important things in any young person's life - family and friends, and the journey of self-discovery. It will resume filming soon in Salt Lake City, Utah. On Good Morning America, the Andi Mack cast participated in a book donation to kids in underserved communities through First Book, Disney|ABC Television and Disney Publishing's "Magic of Storytelling" initiative. In March, they will also be featured in a Disney Channel "Magic of Storytelling" interstitial encouraging young viewers to read.

Andi Mack premiered on Disney Channel in April 2017 and ranks among TV's Top 10 series for Kids and Girls 6-11. It reached more than 40 million total viewers and nearly 17 million kids worldwide in the most recent quarter (3Q17) and is the #1 series on Disney Channel VOD and in the DisneyNOW app. A one-hour episode, "Cyrus' Bash-Mitzvah!," premieres Friday, Feb. 23 at 8:00pm EST/PST, and introduces turning points for several characters. Twelve new episodes from season two will debut beginning in June 2018, with episodes from the third season scheduled to debut later in 2018. Andi Mack stars Peyton Elizabeth Lee as Andi Mack, Lilan Bowden as Bex Mack, Lauren Tom as Celia Mack, Joshua Rush as Cyrus Goodman, Sofia Wylie as Buffy Driscoll and Asher Angel as Jonah Beck. Recurring cast members are Trent Garrett as Bowie Quinn, Stoney Westmoreland as Henry "HAM" Mack, Emily Skinner as Amber, Luke Mullen as T.J. and Darius Marcell as Walker.

It's the most wonderful time of the year for COZI TV viewers from coast to coast, with the national multicast network announcing their lineup for the 4th annual HOLIDOZI television marathon. Featuring more than 30 hours of America's most beloved television programming, viewers can tune in starting December 4 for holiday-themed episodes of Frasier, Will & Grace, The Dick Van Dyke Show and many more. The full COZI HOLIDOZI lineup includes:

December 4
8:00PM Frasier - "Miracle on Third or Fourth Street"
December 5
8:00PM Frasier - “Perspectives On Christmas”
December 6
8:00PM Frasier - “The Fight Before Christmas”
December 7
8:00PM Frasier - “We Two Kings”
December 8
8:00PM Frasier - “Frasier Grinch”
December 11
8:00PM Frasier - “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz”
December 12
8:00PM Frasier - “Mary Christmas”
December 13
8:00PM Frasier - “High Holidays”
December 14
8:00PM Frasier - “Frasier Grinch”
December 15
8:00PM Frasier - “Miracle on Third or Fourth”
December 18
10:00PM Will & Grace - “Jingle Balls”
December 19
10:00PM Will & Grace - “All About Christmas Eve”
December 20
10:00PM Will & Grace - “Fanilow”
December 21
10:00PM Will & Grace - “Christmas Break”
December 22
10:00PM Will & Grace - “A Little Christmas Queer”
December 24
6:00 AM Make Room For Daddy – “Christmas and Clowns”
6:30 AM Make Room For Daddy – “Christmas Story”
7:00 AM The Real McCoys – “The Diamond Ring”
7:30 AM Lone Ranger – “Christmas Story”
8:00 AM Lassie – “The Christmas Story”
8:30 AM Lassie – “The Christmas Story”
9:00 AM Lassie – “Yochim’s Christmas”
9:30 AM Lassie – “The Little Christmas Tree”
1:00 PM Little House On The Prairie – “Christmas At Plum Creek”
2:00 PM Little House On The Prairie – “Blizzard”
3:00 PM Murder, She Wrote – “A Christmas Secret”
4:00 PM The Six Million Dollar Man – “A Bionic Christmas Carol”
5:00 PM Kojak – “How Cruel The Frost, How Bright The Stars”
6:00 PM Quantum Leap – “A Little Miracle”
7:00 PM Quantum Leap – “Promised Land”
8:00 PM Frasier – “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Moskowitz”
8:30 PM Frasier – “Mary Christmas”
9:00 PM Frasier – “High Holidays”
9:30 PM Will & Grace – “All About Christmas Eve”
10:00 PM Will & Grace – “Fanilow”
10:30 PM Will & Grace – “Christmas Break”
11:00 PM Baywatch – “Silent Night, Baywatch Night: Part 1”
12:00 AM Baywatch – “Silent Night, Baywatch Night: Part 2”

Actress Ann Wedgeworth, who was known for her roles as Lana Shields in Three's Company and as Merleen Elldridge in Evening Shade, has died. She died on November 16 after a long illness near her home in New York City. Ms. Wedgeworth was 83.

Wedgeworth had main roles on several daytime soap operas. She starred as Angela 'Angie' Talbot on The Edge of Night from 1966-1967 and as Lahoma Vane Lucas on Another World from 1970 to 1973. She also appeared in the Another World spinoff series, Somerset.

Some of her early television guest appearances included Kraft Theatre, Startime, The Defenders, Hawk, and Bronk.

She had a recurring role as Lana Shields in nine episodes in the first half of the fourth season (1979-1980) of Three's Company. Lana was a promiscuous older female neighbor who pursued Jack Tripper (John Ritter) and was in turn pursued by Mr. Furley (Don Knotts). In 1998, she was interviewed for the E! True Hollywood Story on Three's Company.

Wedgeworth starred as the good-natured but ditzy Bootsie Westchester, wife of Wild Bill Westchester (Jerry Hardin), in the 1982-1983 CBS sitcom Filthy Rich. The Linda Bloodworth-Thomason created series also starred Slim Pickens, Forrest Tucker, Delta Burke, Dixie Carter, Charles Frank, Michael Lombard, Nedra Volz and Vernon Weddle.

Her longest running role was on Evening Shade, which aired on CBS from 1990-1994. She starred as Merleen Elldridge, the lusty wife of Dr. Harlan Elldridge (Charles Durning). The Linda Bloodworth-Thomason created series also starred Burt Reynolds, Marilu Henner, Hal Holbrook, Ossie Davis, Elizabeth Ashley, Michael Jeter, Jay R. Ferguson, Charlie Dell, Candace Hutson and Jacob Parker.

Some of her later televison guest appearances included One Life to Live, The Twilight Zone, The Equalizer and Roseanne. Her film credits included Scarecrow, Bang the Drum Slowly, Law and Disorder, One Summer Love, Thieves, Handle with Care, No Small Affair, My Science Project, Sweet Dreams, The Men's Club, A Tiger's Tale, Made in Heaven, Far North, Steel Magnolias, Hard Promises, Love and a .45 and The Whole Wide World.

Wedgeworth was also known for her work on Broadway and off-Broadway productions. She won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for Chapter Two in 1978. Some of her other credits included Make a Million, Period of Adjustment, Blues for Mister Charlie, The Last Analysis, Thieves and A Lie of the Mind.

Survivors include her husband, George Martin; her two daughters, Danae Torn and Dianna Martin; and stepsons Michael Martin and Greg Martin.

Ms. Wedgeworth was a talented character actress. She appeared in only nine episodes of Three's Company, but it seemed like more because they were always funny and memorable. It was a bit outrageous to believe that Jack would reject Lana's advances. Evening Shade was an underrated show, which should be available complete on DVD. She will be deeply missed.

Actor Earle Hyman, who was known for his role as Russell Huxtable in The Cosby Show, has died. He died on November 17 at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey. Mr. Hyman was 91.

Hyman's early television guest appearances included The United States Steel Hour, Espionage, East Side/West Side, The Nurses, Playdate, The Defenders, Seaway and Madigan.

He appeared in 40 episodes of The Cosby Show as Dr. Heathcliff (Cliff) Huxtable's (Bill Cosby) father, Russell Huxtable. He was married to Anna Huxtable (Clarice Taylor). The 1984-1992 NBC sitcom also starred Phylica Rashad, Sabrina Le Beauf, Lisa Bonet, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Tempestt Bledsoe, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Geoffrey Owens (1986-1992) and Raven-Symoné (1989-1992). Hyman received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series in 1986. He also appeared in an episode of the spinoff series, A Different World.

Hyman was also known for his voice work on the animated series ThunderCats. He provided the voices of the hero Panthro and the villains Red-Eye and Ancient Spirits of Evil in the series which aired in syndication from 1985 to 1989.

Some of his film credits included The Bamboo Prison, Afrikaneren, The Possession of Joel Delaney, The Super Cops, Coriolanus, Julius Caesar and Fighting Back.

He had a long and distinguished career on Broadway. He was nominated for Broadway's 1980 Tony Award as Best Featured Actor in a Play for Edward Albee's The Lady from Dubuque. Some of his other stage credits included Run, Little Chillun, Anna Lucasta, Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, Othello and A Raisin in the Sun.

Survivors include his nephews Rick Ferguson and Derryl Ferguson and nieces Yvette Ferguson and Monica Ferguson.

Mr. Hyman was a fine actor with a great baritone voice. The episodes where the Huxtable grandparents stopped by were always good ones. Hyman was only 11 years older than Cosby, but somehow they made it work. He will be greatly missed.

We thank them both for the laughter and entertainment they brought us over the years.

In 2 weeks Antenna TV is making some changes to its summer schedule. One Day at a Time and Evening Shade will return to the schedule on Sundays, while What's Happening!! takes a hiatus and Becker and 227 get shifted to the overnight. The changes will begin on Monday, July 17, with weekday mornings through 4pm the same as now. The Partridge Family is being re-added to weekdays (and will still air Sunday mornings) from 4-5pm. Three's Company moves to 5-6pm, as the Norman Lear sitcoms will now shift to 6-10pm (Good Times, The Jeffersons, Sanford & Son, and All in the Family). 227 is off of primetime and will move to 3-4am, and Becker moves from 12-1am to 4-5am. Replacing Becker at midnight will now be Family Ties, which also returns to weekdays. What's Happening!! is now completely off the schedule, while Mr. Belvedere is now only on Sundays.

On weekends, the Saturday summer-thons will continue from 1-10pm on Saturdays. Some minor changes on Saturdays have Good Morning World moving to 7-8am replacing Circus Boy, and Bewitched and Jeannie airing in late night from 11:30pm-2am replacing Joey Bishop and World. The Sunday changes have the return of One Day at a Time, airing Sundays 6-7pm, replacing more Becker. In Sunday late night, 11pm-2am gets a change with Newhart shifting to 11pm, the return of Evening Shade at 12am, and My Two Dads moving to 1am. Dear John is off the line-up as well, as it was only airing Sunday late nights. View the full lineup that begins Monday, July 17.

Amazon Studios announced Comrade Detective, a new half-hour live action series that will premiere August 4 exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Comrade Detective is a one-of-a-kind cop show and comedy set in 1980's Romania. True to its nostalgic inspiration, the series is presented in Romanian and dubbed in English--as a Romanian show of that time would have been. Channing Tatum (Logan Lucky) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Looper) provide voice over dubbing performances for the series' two leading roles, Detectives Gregor Anghel and Iosef Baciu--both characters played on screen by leading Romanian actors, Florin Piersic Jr. (Killing Time) and Corneliu Ulici (The Devil Inside).

In addition to Tatum and Gordon-Levitt, the illustrious roster of talent dubbing other roles includes Jenny Slate (Obvious Child), Chloë Sevigny (Bloodline), Jake Johnson (New Girl), Jason Mantzoukas (The House), Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation), Fred Armisen (Documentary Now!), Kim Basinger (LA Confidential), Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), Tracey Letts (The Lovers), Bobby Cannavale (Boardwalk Empire), Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), Debra Winger (The Lovers), Mark Duplass (Safety Not Guaranteed), Katie Aselton Duplass (Legion), Jerrod Carmichael (The Carmichael Show), Bo Burnham (The Big Sick) and John Early (Search Party).

Fox 2017-18

Fall 2017

Mondays
8:00PM Lucifer
9:00PM The Gifted (NEW!)

Tuesdays
8:00PM Lethal Weapon
9:00PM The Mick
9:30PM Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Wednesdays
8:00PM Empire
9:00PM Star

Thursdays
8:00PM Gotham
9:00PM The Orville (NEW!)

Fridays
8:00PM Hell's Kitchen
9:00PM The Exorcist

Saturdays
7:00PM Fox Sports Saturday: Fox College Football

Sundays
7:00PM NFL on Fox
7:30PM The OT (NFL post-game)/Bob's Burgers
8:00PM The Simpsons
8:30PM Ghosted (NEW!)
9:00PM Family Guy
9:30PM The Last Man on Earth

Unscheduled Mid-season 2017 (new and returning):
COMEDY: LA to Vegas
DRAMA: The Resident, 9-1-1
REALITY: American Grit, Beat Shazam, T F Word with Gordon Ramsay, Hell's Kitchen, Love Connection, Masterchef, Masterchef Junior, Showtime at the Apollo, So You Think You Can Dance, Superhuman

Returning:
COMEDY: New Girl
DRAMA: The X-Files
REALITY:

NOTES: Four new dramas, two new comedies, and two live music events join the lineup. New Girl will air its seventh and final season. Medical drama The Resident, starring Matt Czurchy, Emily VanCamp and Bruce Greenwood, will premiere midseason. Emergency response drama 9-1-1, from creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, starring Angela Bassett, will premiere midseason. Workplace comedy LA to Vegas, starring Dylan McDermott, will debut midseason. Brand-new chapter of event series The X-Files to return midseason. An all-new musical produciton of perennial holiday classic A Christmas Story will air live in December. An all-new live musical production of Rent, the Tony Award, Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize winner, will air.

Discuss Fox's 2017-18 lineup. You'll find the official press release there, too...with details on all the new series.

Antenna TV just had its viewer's choice Bewitched Mother's Day marathon yesterday, now voting has began on another viewer's choice! This Father's Day, viewers choose which show Antenna TV will show a marathon of on Father's Day 2017 - Sunday, June 18! Vote now for your choice of the "Top Pop of Antenna TV." Voting ends on Monday, June 5 and they will announce the winning choice on Father's Day. Your choices are:

George Owens - Mr. Belvedere
Michael & Joey - My Two Dads
Jim Anderson - Father Knows Best
Martin Lane - The Patty Duke Show
Fred Sanford - Sanford and Son
Wood Newton - Evening Shade

The celebrity cast of Dancing with the Stars are slipping on their dancing shoes and getting ready for their first dance on the ballroom floor, as the 23rd season kicks off on Monday, Sept. 12, 2016 from 8:00-10:01 p.m. EDT, on the ABC Television Network. This season's lineup of celebrity dancers includes two Gold medal-winning U.S. Olympians, a multi Grammy award-winning musician, a star of one of the most iconic television programs ever, one of the greatest wide receivers of all time, and the former governor of Texas, to name just a few. As announced on ABC's Good Morning America, the celebrities with their professional partners heading to the ballroom this season (in alphabetical order) are:

· Amber Rose (The Amber Rose Show) with Maksim Chmerkovskiy
· Calvin Johnson Jr. (NFL star) with Lindsay Arnold
· Jake T. Austin (Wizards of Waverly Place) with Jenna Johnson
· James Hinchcliffe (IndyCar driver) with Sharna Burgess
· Jana Kramer (country singer, One Tree Hill) with Gleb Savchenko
· Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds (musician) with Allison Holker
· Laurie Hernandez (gymnast, Olympic gold medalist) with Valentin Chmerkovskiy
· Marilu Henner (Taxi, Evening Shade) with Derek Hough
· Maureen McCormick (The Brady Bunch) with Artem Chigvintsev
· Rick Perry (politician) with Emma Slater
· Ryan Lochte (swimmer, Olympic gold medalist) with Cheryl Burke
· Terra Jolé (Little Women: LA) with Sasha Farber
· "Vanilla Ice" Robert Van Winkle (rapper) with Witney Carson

NBC will air encores of its Thursday comedies on Fridays for at least the first three weeks of the season, as NBC has delayed the new season of Caught on Camera with Nick Cannon to Friday, Oct. 14 at 8pm. Instead, repeats of Superstore and new comedy The Good Place will air from 8-9pm for three weeks (Sep. 23, Sep. 30 and Oct. 7). As a reminder, remember The Good Place is a unique new comedy that follows Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell, House of Lies, Veronica Mars), an ordinary woman who, through an extraordinary string of events, enters the afterlife where she comes to realize that she hasn't been a very good person. With the help of her wise newfound afterlife mentor (Ted Danson, Bored to Death, Cheers), she's determined to shed her old way of living and discover the awesome (or at least the pretty good) person within.

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It took a while, but we finally got the first cancellation of a show for this season, we have news (although it is too late to take part in it now) of fast food chain White Castle paying tribute to a famous Thanksgiving episode of a sitcom with a special "turkey drop" contest, and news of more Evening Shade on DVD. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• VEI has been very busy with a lot of complete series lately, and this week, even more were announced. For sitcom fans, however, there is really only one of interest: Evening Shade. No date has been given for this release yet, and we suspect that it won't arrive until later next year.

Who to Follow: Angela Kinsey (Twitter), "Mom. Owner of nutty pets. Actress. Flip flop wearer."

Claim to Fame: Angela Kinsey came to fame to most people from her role of Angela Martin from The Office. But before that, her career began with an internship on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. She had a few guest roles here and there on King of the Hill and Step by Step, but in 2005, she was thrust into the spotlight on The Office, which was sort of an unexpected hit for NBC. Since then, she has made a number of appearances elsewhere, and was most recently in a role on the TBS series Your Family or Mine, which didn't exactly get a lot of attention and has already been canceled. Now, she is writing, and may possibly appear, in yet another TBS sitcom.

Last summer we announced that Antenna TV had acquired many series for 2015. Now some of them are launching right now in January! In fact, the new Antenna TV January 2015 schedule starts today. Six of the eleven series they announced are joining the schedule. The series joining the line-up are Leave it to Beaver, Mr. Belvedere, Newhart, Doogie Howser M.D., Small Wonder and Evening Shade (one note is that Leave it to Beaver is returning to Antenna TV after airing on MeTV). So you'll have to wait later this year for the other series: The Jeffersons, Mork & Mindy, One Day at a Time, Family Ties, and Dear John. Anyway, back to the January 2015 schedule, as always there are a lot of time changes. Hazel is also returning to the schedule (airing weekdays 9-10am), while The Ropers and Three's a Crowd get regular weekend airings now (Saturdays 6-7pm and Sundays 12-1pm) instead of airing within the Three's Company rotation. Also returning to Antenna TV is The Three Stooges, airing Sundays 7-8am. As for the new series, Leave it to Beaver will air weekdays from 4-5pm, Saturdays 5-6pm and Sundays 2-3pm. Mr. Belvedere will air weekdays from 5-6pm, Saturdays 11pm-12am and Sundays 6-7pm. Newhart launches tonight with a special finale/pilot episode event, with the series finale airing first at 10pm, followed by the pilot episode at 10:30pm. The Bob Newhart '80s comedy will air weekdays 10-11pm and weekends 9-10pm. Doogie Howser M.D. will air late nights on weeknights from 2-3am, Saturdays 10-11pm and Sundays 7-8pm. Small Wonder and Evening Shade will only air on weekends, with Small Wonder on Saturdays 3-4pm and Sundays 5-6pm. Evening Shade is weekends from 8-9pm.

With all of these additions and returns, some series will be leaving the schedule. Expiring or on hiatus series are: Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Bachelor Father, Diff'rent Strokes, Flipper, It Takes A Thief, Married...with Children, Partridge Family, Sanford And Son, The Nanny and Tooned In. The weekday morning schedule will consist of black and white sitcoms from 6am-5pm, while the '70s/'80s comedies take over from 5pm-3am. The Saturday primetime line-up features the new '80s additions, as does Sundays from 5pm-9pm. View and discuss the entire Antenna TV January 2015 schedule so you don't miss any of your favorites!

Actress Donna Douglas, best known for her role as Elly May Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies, has died. She died at Baton Rouge General Hospital in Zachary, Louisiana on January 1 from pancreatic cancer. Ms. Douglas was 82.

Douglas' early sitcom appearances included Bachelor Father, Hennesey, Pete and Gladys and Mister Ed. Some of her drama appearances included Tightrope, U.S. Marshal, Whirlybirds, Lock Up, The Detectives, Route 66, Thriller, Checkmate, 77 Sunset Strip, Surfside 6, Dr. Kildare and Twilight Zone. Her film credits included Career, Lover Come Back and Frankie and Johnny (with Elvis Presley).

Douglas was selected from among 500 young actresses for the role of Elly May Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies. The popular CBS sitcom ran for nine seasons and 274 episodes from 1962-1971. The series also starred Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Max Baer, Jr, Raymond Bailey and Nancy Kulp. Elly May was the only child of Jed and Rose Ellen Clampett. She was a tomboy who loved all kinds of critters. Douglas joined Ebsen and Culp in the 1981 CBS TV movie Return of the Beverly Hillbillies. She reunited with Ebsen and Baer in the 1993 CBS TV special The Legend of the Beverly Hillbillies.

Some of her later television appearances included Night Gallery, Love, American Style, Adam-12, McMillan & Wife, Project U.F.O., The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and The Nanny. Following her acting career, she briefly worked as a real estate agent. She frequently performed as a gospel singer and was an inspirational speaker at many church groups, youth groups and schools. Douglas wrote several children's books and published a cookbook in 2013.

Survivors include her son, Danny P. Bourgeois, and a niece, Charlene Smith. Donna was a talented and beautiful actress. She seemed like a very sweet lady with all of her charity work. She always appeared to be appreciative of her fans. We will deeply miss her.

Share your memories on our Beverly Hillbillies message board. View photos in our galleries.

Antenna TV announced the addition of eleven classic series to the network's lineup for 2015! Antenna TV, which airs in 89 markets across the U.S. reaching 71% of TV households, will add Newhart, The Jeffersons, Mork & Mindy, One Day at a Time, Family Ties, Evening Shade, Leave it to Beaver, Doogie Howser MD, Mr. Belvedere, Dear John, and Small Wonder to its existing lineup in 2015. These series are coming from various studios, such as Sony Pictures Television, 20th Century Fox, CBS Paramount and NBC Universal. And these eleven series might not be all that are on the horizon! Sean Compton, President of Strategic Programming and Acquisitions, Tribune Media says, "We are excited to add these shows to the lineup and plan to announce more programming acquisitions for the network in the coming months." Perhaps series like The Facts of Life, Webster, Silver Spoons and What's Happening/What's Happening Now?

Newhart, The Jeffersons, Mork & Mindy, One Day at a Time, Family Ties, Evening Shade, Leave it to Beaver, Doogie Howser MD, Mr. Belvedere, Dear John and Small Wonder join Antenna TV's lineup of classic favorites: Three's Company, Too Close for Comfort, I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best, Bachelor Father, Hazel, The Partridge Family, Sanford and Son, Maude, Diff'rent Strokes, WKRP in Cincinnati, All in the Family, Good Times, The Three Stooges, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, The Jack Benny Program, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Gidget, The Flying Nun, It Takes a Thief and Antenna TV Theater, a movie block featuring MGM and Sony movies. More info on these eleven series' start dates and the potential other series coming soon will be announced closer to 2015. Stay with us for all things Antenna TV as always!

Amazon announced it will premiere all ten episodes of the highly-anticipated Jill Soloway dark comedy Transparent on Friday, September 26 exclusively on Prime Instant Video in the US and UK. Starring Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development), Judith Light (Who's the Boss?), Gaby Hoffmann (Girls), Amy Landecker (Louie) and Jay Duplass (Togetherness), Transparent follows the Pfeffermans--a Los Angeles family forced to deal with their long-held secrets together.

Written, directed and executive produced by Emmy-nominee and 2013 Sundance Best Director winner Soloway, Transparent is a ten episode, half-hour novelistic series that explores family, identity, sex, and love. The series stars Tambor as Maura, who has spent her life as Mort--the Pfefferman family patriarch. When she reintroduces herself to her family, everyone's secrets finally start to come out. This includes her ex-wife Shelly (played by Light), and their children--meandering Ali (played by Hoffmann), record producer Josh (played by Duplass), and sexually conflicted Sarah (played by Landecker). Each family member spins in a different direction as they begin to figure out who they are going to become. Amazon Prime members can watch the first episode of Transparent now via the Prime Instant Video apps for Amazon Fire TV, Kindle Fire tablets, Fire phone, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Roku, Xbox, PlayStation, Wii, as well as hundreds of other connected devices such as smart TVs--or customers can visit Amazon.com/PIV to watch online. Prime members can add Transparent to their Watchlist and easily access new episodes when they premiere on September 26.

Recurring guest stars in Transparent include Melora Hardin (The Office) as Tammy, Bradley Whitford (Trophy Wife, The West Wing) as Marcy, Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia) as Syd, Kathryn Hahn (Parks and Recreation) as Raquel, Alexandra Billings (Grey's Anatomy) as Maura's friend Davina, and Rob Huebel (Childrens Hospital) as Len. Guest starring roles include Michaela Watkins as Connie, Kiersey Clemons as Bianca, comedian Ian Harvie as Dale, and Cleo Anthony as Derek.